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I will be at a conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from Sat. Apr. 6 to Wed. Apr. 10. Are there any piano or music stores, or other music-related places or events, that I should consider visiting while I'm there?

I will be in Center City without a car, but I lived in Philadelphia for four years, so I'm comfortable getting around by public transportation.

I'm probably only free during the day on Saturday (and possibly Sunday), but I'll be free most evenings in case there are any interesting concerts, or stores open late, or something.

I agree with the prior responses. Cunningham Piano Company is a must visit--you should be able to find Rich Galassini on this Forum. If you get in touch with him, I bet he will set up one of his wonderful tours of Cunningham's piano factory and showroom for you.

The organ at the former Wanamaker's (now Macy's, near City Hall) is a great suggestion.

And by all means check to see what the Philadelphia Orchestra is performing while you are here! They sometimes have wonderful Sunday afternoon chamber concerts (I mean, the concerts are always wonderful, but they are not every Sunday).

There is so much to see in Philly on any Saturday night it becomes a difficult choice.

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"Imagine it in all its primatic colorings, its counterpart in our souls - our souls that are great pianos whose strings, of honey and of steel, the divisions of the rainbow set twanging, loosing on the air great novels of adventure!" - William Carlos Williams

Not music related, but the butter cake at Flying Monkey in Reading Terminal Market is out of this world. Seriously. It is so good I looked the bakery up online upon our return only to be bitterly disappointed they don't ship out of state.

Mitsuko Uchida is playing a recital here on April 10--but maybe you'll be leaving by then. On the 7th there's a recital by a pianist I don't know, Marcantonio Barone. Both of these concerts are sponsored by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.

As Dave B says, there's a huge variety of musical events here--lots of vocal and instrumental ensembles, as well as the orchestra. The Philly Fun Guide online is a good source for event listings.

With all that, Cunningham's, and the Macy's organ (free every day at noon in case you have a lunch break), you'll have a lot to do!

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions. I'm leaving late afternoon on Wed., so a 1/10 concert is out. But the 1/7 concert is possible. I'll be staying very close to the Reading Terminal Market -- butter cake, here I come.

Cunningham's sounds wonderful, and I have now for the first time used the Google maps feature on my iphone that will show public transit directions. Hooray! It looks like there's a bus that runs all the way up there, although I'm going to check if the train goes close by, since that would probably be faster.

Thanks for reminding me that Wanamaker's is now Macy's. That sale happened after I had moved away. I would have been terribly disoriented hunting for Wanamaker's and not finding it.

Is there a good printed music store in the city? Or have they all fallen under the onslaught of online sales?

There's a good printed music store in Ardmore, Calliope Music, on Lancaster Ave. It's very close to the Ardmore SEPTA regional rail station. I don't think there are any printed music stores downtown (if there are, I apologize for not knowing about them).

Unfortunately, there is no sheet music store in Center City and my opinion is that Calliope Music in Ardmore is absolutely the best in the area. One can catch a train that puts you blocks away from them. If you stop in there, please tell Julia or George that we were asking for them.

Also, if you wish to visit us here at Cunningham I will happy to set aside a little time to show you around. We like to think that we are a pianists playground!

If you have a chance, it's always a treat to check out the student recitals at CURTIS. Whether piano or not you won't be disappointed (bonus-they're free !) and it's in a nice, intimate setting just off Rittenhouse Square.

It's been a few years since I've been, but a couple of the performances I've been to were unbelievable. (Once being the Brahms Piano Quartet #3)

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I didn't have enough time to make it to Cunningham Piano, unfortunately. Hopefully on another trip.

I did make it out to Calliope Music in Ardmore and bought a ton of music, and ordered another ton of music. It was really wonderful being able to browse in such a well-stocked music store, and talk with the really well-informed owner who had lots of great suggestions for me. It was incredibly easy and quick to get there by train.

I went to a senior recital at Curtis Institute of Music by cellist Xin Shi. He has two teachers: the cellist of the Guarneri String Quartet and the first chair cellist in the New York Philharmonic. Wow! He played sonatas by Beethoven, Poulenc, and Rachmaninoff. It was extraordinarily wonderful.

On my last night in Philadelphia, the conference had a big party with the Springsteen tribute band Bruce In The USA, so that was another great musical experience, transcendant in a different way.

I found Profi's Crêperie in the Reading Terminal Market and had Nutella-banana crêpes for breakfast every morning. Yum yum yum.

I can tell that I've only scratched the surface of the musical offerings in Philadelphia, so I'm hoping for another reason to go back soon.

Philly is a great town with much to offer. We even have a ballet company; and a great art museum, if you can get past the crowd in front of the Rocky statue.

_________________________
"Imagine it in all its primatic colorings, its counterpart in our souls - our souls that are great pianos whose strings, of honey and of steel, the divisions of the rainbow set twanging, loosing on the air great novels of adventure!" - William Carlos Williams